St. Croix County Victim/Witness Program Internship

1101 Carmichael Rd.
Hudson, WI 54016
715-386-4666

Interns indicate duties performed:

Assists staff on a daily basis as well as attending court hearings. Intern will help or assist in filing restraining orders for patrons. Also, intern is in charge of setting up annual victims awareness week. (2010)

Students identified positive aspects of this placement:

It is great to meet people face to face and helping those in need. (2009)

The one-on-one interacting with the victims - helping them and being there to be a support system as well as a pillar of strength for them in their time of need. (2009)

Learning the court system and learning courtroom procedures. (2008)

The ability to get a good understanding of all the aspects of the CJ system. Also the friendly people who are willing to assist the interns in learning all they can. The chance to go with different people/agencies to understand what they do. (2006)

Variety - everyday there is something new. Working with clients one on one. Learning about how the courts work adn working with employees of the office. (2005)

Great supervisor and people to work with. Get to see many aspects of CJ system. (2003)

I really enjoyed attending various court proceedings. I learned a lot. Never have to be afraid to ask questions. (2002)

Getting to work with people and helping them out when they most need it. the people there are also very nice and a lot of fun to work with. (2002)

Everyday is different and always learning new things about justice system. Meeting new people every day and learning about different professions in CJ system. You make it what you want it to be; whether you want to experience other areas: probation, law enforcement, etc., is up to you. (2001)

The availability you have to experience all aspects of the CJ system. You sit in on court proceedings, you read police reports, you help in determining restitution, etc... and the staff is very open and willing to help you and answer any questions you have.

Included involvement with victims. I was able to help with restraining orders so I became very involved with some of them (in wanting to ensure their protection). Other positives included that there was always something new and interesting occuring. I was able to see a lot of court proceedings and I experienced a lot of stuff outside of the office (spend a day with probation/parole, ride-along with River Falls PD).

The DA's office works hand in hand with many areas of law enforcement, for example: probation/parole, police officers, sheriff's department and courtroom officials, making it easy to see each aspect of the system. Also, you can see what a victim/witness goes through. (1998)

I really learned a lot in this intern position. You do a variety of activities, you attend a lot of court hearings. (1996)

Victim sensitivity. I learned a lot abut laws, court and juveniles. Great way to get to know about the system and different areas of it. (1995)

The internship was a great experience and really allows you see the cj system from all different aspects, from the defense aspect to the victims aspect. You will gain a better understanding of the system as a whole. (1995)

I truly enjoyed my time at this internship and highly recommend this agency to anyone interested in Victim/Witness Assistance. (1993)

Students identified difficulties typical in this placement:

Anger at the system and its downfalls; office politics. (2010)

Shifts can be chaotic and not much direction is pointed out to intern. Not everyone in the government center is welcome to having interns around. (2009)

Learning all the legal terminology used in court records and having to decipher them and put them into words victims can better understand. (2009)

Many cases you are working on may not be finished ni a one-semester internship. (2008)

There is often stress, which is not too bad especially if you are an intern. (2006)

Working with upset clients. There is always something to do, sometimes with breaks being short or vary in times taken. Telling some people who come in for assistance that we can't help them. (2005)

You work with some very emotional clients. (2002)

Some of the cases are very hard to deal with and require patience and compassion. Also, this is a very hands-on experience and you ahve to learn very quickly. (2002)

It can be a lot of paperwor which is mindless, but I guess every internship and job has it. It was sometimes difficult to understand the legal terms for adult and juvenile court. (2001)

You sometimes run into problems of dealing with a victim and not knowing what you can and can't say to them, but that's part of the learning process.

I didn't find any difficulties. It was a truly enjoyable placement.

Sometimes, repetative work (but only sometimes). (1998)

You have to be out-going and definitely not shy. Confidentiality is a must. (1996)

You see a lot of sad things working with victims. A lot of domestic abuse cases, sexual assault of children. Hard to get used to things like that. You work for DA, so no funny stuff allowed - he's an elected official! (1995)

Know about the different types of court proceedings before beginning the internship. Also know the differences between felonies and misdemeanors. The more you know about the court system and legal aspects, the less confusing it will be. (1995)